Information Sheets > Is It a Strait-Jacket

Applying the ISO 9001:2000 procedures should bring real business benefits and save money. Why, then, do so many managers who boast registration to ISO 9001:2000 regard it as something quite detached from their efforts to improve business performance?

They talk of excessive paperwork and procedures which slow down the organisation. Why is the standard so often viewed as a necessary evil - rather than something that improves effectiveness and efficiency?

Clearly, thousands of organisations have used ISO 9001:2000 procedures to improve their systems. So why doesn't it work for everyone?

Many feel forced to adopt ISO 9001:2000 procedures by customers who insist on registration. Consequently, right from the start, senior staff see it as an imposition with few internal benefits.

For this reason, it is given a low priority - something to be devolved to a subordinate who probably has insufficient knowledge of what makes the business effective and has no authority to involve those who really understand the way things work.

Perhaps worse, this lack of top-level commitment means that the project is often delayed. The result can be a hasty interpretation of the standard "to the letter of the law", which can only be described as an administrative strait-jacket.

It is important to recognise that many of the standard's requirements are likely to be in place already in a well-run organisation and it is unwise to change them unnecessarily. It is therefore sensible to start with a gap analysis to identify areas of compliance and non-compliance.

For a system to be beneficial, the rule must be: start very simply. Identify the essential, critical processes and include them - but don't try to document too much. It is important to use familiar language. If you don't or if the procedures are too complicated, people simply won't use them. Don't let it become an over-documented burden of red tape.

It can be useful to test the need for written procedures (and/or the degree of detail) against three criteria:

• To what degree is an activity prone to mistakes?
• How critical is the activity to success?
• Must it be done in a certain way and/or sequence?

Many firms become carried away with gaining certification rather than making improvements to their working methods. The objective should be to provide a framework, understood by those who use it, which identifies the important tasks and helps management and staff to make improvements.

Used sensibly, ISO 9001:2000 procedures helps to establish "right first time" as a routine, and reinforces the need to change things for the better. The whole idea is to get people to focus, bit by bit, on error prevention rather than error correction.

There is an important balance to be struck between the degree of detail required and the level of training. It is inappropriate for technically qualified staff to document every aspect of their work. Nevertheless, there are some critical stages which should not be neglected.

Once problems are identified, they should be addressed in a practical way. It is not necessary to create elaborate procedures to prevent trivial problems from recurring.

However, it is necessary to "eliminate the cause to a degree appropriate to the magnitude of problems and commensurate with the risks encountered". In other words, problems should be addressed with a healthy dose of common sense.

The language and attitudes of quality professionals do not help. Instead of talking about "quality systems which meet the requirements of ISO 9001:2000", we should talk about preventing cock-ups, pleasing customers and improving profits.

When quality auditors discover things that have gone wrong, they often haughtily label them as "non-conformities". Businessmen and managers might be more receptive if they talked about "possible improvements".

So don't strive senselessly for certification. Simply set about creating the essential minimum of paperwork to prevent mistakes. Certification will follow naturally.

To speak to the author, call 01454 851135 or email mike@alleryscotts.com